Taiwan: Conflicts with China

The island of Taiwan lies approximately 161 kilometers (100 miles) off the southeast coast of mainland China. In December 1949, nationalist forces retreated to the island following their defeat to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). About two million Chinese nationalist refugees fled to the island and established their own government in Taiwan independent of the mainland, carrying the tradition of the Republic of China (ROC) which had replaced the Qing dynasty in 1912. However, the government on the mainland, the People's Republic of China (PRC), considers Taiwan as part of its territory, and some residents of Taiwan agree. Others consider the island a separate nation and seek independence. Officially, both the PRC and ROC claim the entirety of China, both...